Over the past 10 years the internet has had a dramatic influence on all sectors of healthcare. This is certainly evident with the dramatic increase in the number and type of health-related websites that are now online. Patients are now going to the internet first for information on medical conditions and products as highlighted by recent research in the U.S. that has shown more consumers used the internet for health information than going to their doctor in 2008!
More recently the Social Media or “Web 2.0” tools and online sites where people can meet and get advice from other patients and consumers are growing rapidly. Research has also shown that the use of “Health 2.0” content has doubled in the past year. A recent example of this is a study which showed that 5 percent of U.S. internet users looking for information about the antidepressant Lexapro visited the blog crazymeds.org between mid-December 2006 and mid-January 2007. The study showed that they visited this Weblog because it provides ‘straight talk’ about the safety and efficacy of many commonly used psychiatric medications.
Perhaps the lesson to be learnt here is that people are moving away from static product-related websites and turning to social media because they are looking for relevant, honest and meaningful content from:
- Other patients and consumers who are in the same position as themselves and have had first-hand experience with the medication or treatment
- Experts who they can direct specific questions about their own situation and how it will affect them and their families
In the current climate it is difficult for the pharmaceutical company marketers to consider or plan to implement a true Web 2.0 strategy because of the constraints placed on them by their own legal and medical departments plus the MA code in terms of:
- Direct-to-consumer promotion
- Requirement to control how information is developed and disseminated
- Adverse event reporting
Therefore, drug marketers have kept to a decidedly Web 1.0 model, in which patient interaction is kept to a minimum or is hidden in password protected websites. Going forward, this will need to change so that the industry can start engaging in authentic conversation with their customers.
Until the regulatory barriers are eased, the pharmaceutical industry should be actively monitoring the user-generated media. Apart from helping to learn about this new communication medium it is an excellent source of observational market research and will provide marketers with valuable information from all stakeholders, helping them to understand:
- What is being said
- Who is saying it
- What people want to know
- How people want to receive information
The challenge for the pharmaceutical industry is how to start taking part in and getting used to social media. Despite the barriers that exist, there are a number of social media tools that the pharmaceutical marketers can start using now to improve communication within their own organization and with their customers. These are:
For external audiences – Podcasts and Vodcasts (also called vidcasting or vlogging)
For internal audiences - Wikis, blogs and forums
Going forward, before deciding to jump on the social media bandwagon and invest both time and financial resources companies still need to consider the following:
- What is the strategy?
- What is the time frame?
- What is the desired outcome?
- What is the procedure?
Contact the team at ZEST to find out more about the different social media tools and sites and how you can start embracing the new communication revolution!
ZEST Healthcare Communications specialises in the creation of medical education programs and materials designed to inform and educate healthcare professionals and consumers. Our materials run across all media, including the latest in online technologies. The strategic intent of these programs and materials is to positively transform the way people think about a disease area or brand.